Black Room Power

Living with a black room takes conviction and confidence as in “don’t be afraid of the dark…”

Especially when the choice for wall color is black. In my mind, doing a black room is a strategic decision. Some might consider it to be like perpetual Halloween but I see it differently. Black rooms go back to Roman times and there’s a reason they’ve been a choice over several millennia.

Black, or near black, rooms feel serious and dramatic. They can be modernizing or formalizing, as the stunning room by the great English designer John Minshaw [top] demonstrates. Framed by the white doorway, baseboard molding, and ceiling-crown molding, the black walls, fireplace surround and overmantel mirror frame blend together. Yet the combination looks imposing. And upon a close look, there are few objects here and no furniture aside from a pair of baskets — maximum impact with minimum decoration.

The dining room in an historic 1840 French mansion, L’Hotel du Marc, in Reims, almost looks like state set. And the ebonizing of 19th furniture and decor so it blends together feels like the reversal of the French tradition for all over pattern. This is all over blackness and exceptionally dramatic for visitors to the estate which is said to operate as a guest house for the owners of Veuve Clicquot in the capital of the Champagne region.

Bedrooms feel like the most logical black rooms and — like black kitchen cabinets — they’re a bit of a trend. Mixing in ebonized modern furniture and coordinating the look with charcoal and white bed coverings — makes the bed a focal point. White mid-century murano glass lamps are very pretty here and the antiqued mirror is another nod to 1950s design. While designed for used and eminently practical in its appointments, this black bedroom still has an arresting power to soothe with the effect as a blackout sleep mask.

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